EastEnders fans were stunned to discover Dot Cotton’s iconic secret trend that has spanned 32 years

EastEnders fans are shocked to notice Dot Cotton’s secret Christmas trend that has been going on for over 32 years.

Dot was played by the late June Brown, who was the nation’s sweetheart for almost 40 years in the iconic BBC soap.

June died of natural causes in April 2022, aged 95, and her character was honored with her own farewell when the cast of Albert Square gathered for Dot’s funeral this year.

As fans looked back on her iconic episodes, they noticed that Dot had worn the same outfit in every single Christmas episode since 1988.

Between 1988 and her final festive appearance in 2020, Dot made sure to dress in the same red dress to celebrate the holidays with her friends and family.

Her iconic look was a red patterned collared dress, which she often wore under a scarf, coat or jacket.

Dot most often wore a light yellow cardigan with her outfit, which she regularly accompanied on her festive outings.

While some soap characters often have their signature look and rewear the same items of clothing from time to time, it is very rare for a character to keep an item of clothing for longer than thirty years.

Over the years, Dot has played an important role in Christmas stories and was never far from Queen Vic or home preparing dinner for the Cotton-cum-Branning clan.

However, her most famous Christmas story took place on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day.

In 2002, Dot’s future husband Jim Branning proposed to her aboard the London Eye on Christmas Eve.

In 2008, Dot also donned the dress when she met her granddaughter Dotty for the first time.

Her son Nick brought his little girl with him for the 2008 Christmas holiday as he made a grand return to the soap after a seven-year absence.

In 2022, June’s character was honored with her own farewell when the cast of Albert Square gathered for the character’s funeral in an episode that aired eight months after her death.

The on-screen funeral was also attended by three of June’s real-life children, Sophie, Nim and Billy, who asked to be part of the emotional scenes.

In the heartbreaking yet heartwarming episode, the late Ms. Branning was buried next to her dearest friend Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin), who died in 2000 as a result of her terminal cancer diagnosis.

Sonia also decided to listen to a tape Dot recorded for her late husband Jim, shortly after he suffered a stroke in 2007. He later died in 2015 as a result of a fatal heart attack.

But it wouldn’t be a special episode for the popular Dot Cotton if veteran characters didn’t come back into play.

Returning to Walford was EastEnders heavyweight Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) – who paid his respects to the late great Dot from afar.

Also joining in to say goodbye were Colin Russell (Michael Cashman) and Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), who watched as the horses led her coffin past No. 27, the Queen Vic and Albert Square.

June was one of the most famous faces on British television for decades, playing the devout Christian famous in Albert Square for chain-smoking, gossiping and mothering the needy while working in the launderette.